1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sheath knives. More particularly, the present invention relates to mechanisms for locking or securing a knife in a sheath.
2. Discussion of Background
Knives and sheaths for holding knives are well known. Numerous locking mechanisms have been designed to secure a knife in a sheath as protection against injury or as a safeguard against loss. Locking mechanisms are usually a compromise between ease of use on the one hand, and effectiveness of the lock on the other because all too frequently the more effective the locking mechanism, the more difficult it is to operate. Furthermore, it is frequently the case that the locking mechanism adds to the complexity, and therefore the cost, of the knife and sheath assembly. There is a need for a simple, positive locking mechanism that does not add unduly to the cost of manufacturing and yet is easy to use and effectively secures the knife within the sheath.
A number of attempts have been made to meet this need. See for example, Eastman's three U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,576,278, 3,514,022, and 3,363,813 which have snap fasteners that attach to the butt of the handle. See also the U.S. patent issued to Wykoff, U.S. Pat. No. 2,439,197 which also has a snap fastener on the back of the handle that attaches to the upper part of the sheath, above the blade-enclosing part of the sheath. A knife made according to this design must be rotated away from the body using the point of the blade as a fulcrum against the leg of the wearer in order to unsnap the fastener.